What?
Be ruthless?
Hang on, I will explain.
My last newsletter was all about developing an allergy to clutter. Here’s the back end to that story.
It is one thing to become allergic. It is another thing to do something about it.
Once you have a reaction to clutter, I want you to be ruthless about getting rid of it.
This is not the time to be a nice person. This is not the time to hem and haw.
This is the time to grit your teeth and become mean. Treat clutter like the enemy. And you are out to destroy your enemies (I’m just trying to rev you up, I don’t go about my life this way).
So, imagine you have an hour to deal with clutter. You are in your den or study. You have clutter within 12 inches.
Now what?
I say, be ruthless.
Take no prisoners.
There can be no doubt in this situation.
Even a sliver of doubt opens the door to keeping clutter. If you doubt, you will hem and haw.
Your brain will start giving you all kinds of reasons to keep your clutter.
Some of the more popular include: “I might need it some day” and “maybe Sue down the block could use this” and “I got this from my sister/brother/aunt/uncle and can’t get ride of it.”
Yah, yah, yah. All excuses your brain conjures up to keep you in clutter.
You must fight back against your brain.
You must be ruthless.
Pick up one item at a time. Only keep it if it serves some current function or adds beauty to your home or you use it. Otherwise dump it. Easy.
Once you have a pile of stuff you are tossing or donating, please don’t make the same mistake I have made over and over.
Get rid of the pile immediately.
Here’s what happens if you don’t.
It will become clutter. Yep, this pile of stuff that is no longer welcome in your home becomes clutter. More likely, little by little you will grab something out of the pile and put it somewhere else in your house. I know, because this is what I have done.
So, be ruthless and get the stuff out of your house within the hour. Go to Goodwill or wherever; take the stuff to your neighbors.
Just get it out of your house.
Remember, you are being ruthless (just for a few moments).
Jeffrey A. Betman, Ph.D. is a psychologist, author, and life coach helping people toward the easy life. For a FREE newsletter ($197 value) on making your life easier and FREE report titled 5 Steps To An Easy Life That You Probably Know, But Don’t Do Yet, go to www.LifeIsEasyCoaching.com/sq
Copyright 2010 LifeIsEasyCoaching